An In-Depth Guide to Digital Branding

With such a massive online pool of potential customers for your product or service, it’s no wonder why most companies are striving to make a name for themselves online. In the first quarter of 2018, Facebook alone had 2.19 billion active users per month.

That’s 2.19 billion people you could be reaching on a single platform if you have a digital presence.

Most businesses either have or know they should have an active digital branding strategy. After all, people buy from brands they trust. But if you’re just now taking your first steps into creating an online presence, you may be wondering, “Where do I start?”

Sit back and relax, for you’ve stumbled upon the perfect online guide to digital branding. Below we cover what this practice is as well as tips on how to go about it in a way that builds long-term relationships with your target audience.

Let’s get started!

What is Digital Branding?

Before we delve into the “how”, it’s important to understand exactly what digital branding is. This practice goes beyond just the aesthetic design of your website, logo, and social media avatars. It encompasses the persona your audience connects with and how you interact with them.

It’s your online reputation.

Your voice.

Your relationship with consumers.

Your visibility and exposure.

What you do online is directly connected to your brand and how it is perceived. It is your online PR strategy and digital marketing tied together in a single, cohesive cause: to build your identity, your visibility, and your credibility.

If this sounds like a full-time job, you’re right! Most businesses either hire full-time employees or outsource the responsibility to a reputable digital marketing agency. Yet the benefits you reap are worthwhile as you grow your customer base as well as an avenue for repeat business.

Establishing a Digital Brand

So how do you go about creating this influential digital identity? While marketing is a big part of the process, you must first start with the creation of your online presence. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll break this process down into 3 different categories: brand identity, exposure, and reputation.

Building a Brand Identity

First and foremost, you must establish your brand identity through your website and social media accounts. Before you launch into your design phase, think about your target audience.

We’ll delve more into how you go about this process later. For now, know that exposure takes marketing, including both free and paid strategies, in order to reach a large market and carve your business a place on the web.

Managing Your Brand Reputation

As your brand gains momentum online, it will start to generate feedback. Your customers will share reviews and talk about their experiences through various online forums.

Because of this, it is important to monitor your brand’s reputation and respond appropriately where necessary. Do your best to engage with every form of feedback, whether it’s positive or negative.

However, always, always make an effort to rectify negative reviews. It’s important not only for the customer who had a bad experience but for others online to see that your brand values their customers’ satisfaction and is willing to go the extra mile to receive it.

When you do this, you turn even negative feedback into a proactive example of your brand’s value and credibility.

Creating a Digital Brand Marketing Strategy

Now that you know the basic elements of digital branding, it’s time to push your online presence into the spotlight. The best way to do this is through a combination of content marketing and digital advertising.

How to Build an Audience with Digital Advertising

Digital advertising includes social media advertising and pay-per-click advertising. Every social media platform has its own advertising tools to help you broaden your content’s exposure, grow your website’s traffic, and turn that traffic into conversions.

Facebook advertising is one of the most popular platforms. However, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn also have ways for you to expand your brand’s exposure. Just make sure your content aligns with the culture of that platform.

Instagram is very image-heavy and is great for showcasing products or short videos

When you tailor your content to the environment it’s in, you find the best ROI for your investment. Use your advertising portals to build your target audience, then turn their interest into conversions with relevant content and irresistible offers.

How to Grow Your Brand through Content Marketing

The other avenue of exposure comes from content marketing. This includes blogging, press releases, building backlinks, generating newsletters, and pretty much anything that involves creating, publishing, and syndicating relevant content that promotes your business.

Don’t just focus on content that hard sells your product or service. Provide value and establish your brand as a reliable expert within your industry. Participate in Podcasts, create helpful e-books for potential or existing customers, or create an active blog that constantly produces helpful information your audience can use in their day-to-day activities.

By producing regular, relevant content consistently on your website and on other credible websites, you broaden your exposure both to internet users and Google’s algorithm.

Both are important. You need Google to like you so you rank well in search results and you need users to like you so they turn into new or repeat customers. Focus your content marketing efforts on both and you nail two birds with one stone, growing your internet traffic as you create a foothold for your brand online.

Dive Deep into Digital Marketing

Ready to kickstart your digital branding with a killer marketing strategy? If so, we have the perfect resource for you. Our website features a host of articles revealing insights, helpful how-to’s, and inspirational ideas to help you build your business.

All of it is free to use, so don’t be afraid to dive in! Start with our top 10 Digital Marketing Trends and start making moves to connect with and grow your target audience. Your relationship with them has the power to transform your business.